


every brick you hurled, i'll use to build this world

by newsagogo



Category: Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys - My Chemical Romance (Album), The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: California (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Pre-Canon, The Fabulous Killjoys (Danger Days) Are Not MCR
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:34:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28366971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/newsagogo/pseuds/newsagogo
Summary: life before being a killjoy, being a zonerunner and the ways that leads you from family to friends to family
Relationships: Jet Star & Kobra Kid (Danger Days), Kobra Kid & Party Poison (Danger Days), NewsAGoGo & Jet Star (Danger Days)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 17





	every brick you hurled, i'll use to build this world

**Author's Note:**

> i think jet star has any pronouns and violently middle child energy.  
> once again mx gerard way ive decided killjoys california canon is mine now  
> tumblr user barry milfygerard i am so sorry this took me ages to do

The Zones are a strange place to raise a child. There’s not much in the way of physical stability - it’s safer in the zones further out, yes, but it’s even safer to keep moving. She is young, not yet named Jet Star, and she has more family than she can count - so many older zonerunners say to call them aunt or uncle, call her their sibling, cousin, and her parents are never too far (not always present. But so long as they return, this is ok). 

She wants to try everything, collect as much as possible from life. She moves from hobby to hobby to skill with such speed as she grows they jokingly call her shooting star (“our little Star” their parents call them after they ask about changing themself little by little). Their father plays them old world songs on his Radio shift every night and they drift off dreaming of starmen and planets and constellations as their other parents keep watch. They grow up surrounded by love freely given and love loudly in return and draw people into orbit whenever they wander further out from what passes as home for now. 

Like the name people laugh around them, they choose to be Shooting Star - never staying in one zone or with one crew for long but eye-catching for the short time they’re there. They try out all they can and meet an aspiring DJ whose voice draws people in as well as theirs does, who they find themself attached to in a flash. 

(“call me gogo,” they tell them. “i’m working on the rest of the name. they and them.”

“star is the only part thatll stay for me. use whatever you like”) 

Both move fast and fall into being fast friends, trusting each other with what little they have. Gogo tells Star about their worries that their Voice won’t carry through the zones and their colours will fade - Star tells them about eir worry that ey will burn up too soon, how ey drift further from eir parents in fear of accidentally leading Dracs to what should be safe. Gogo takes em to set fire to old exterminator cars and ties wire around eir wrist as good luck and in return ey bring Gogo out to every market to find the best there first and clip black feathers to their hair as well wishes. A seller calls them a sweet couple as they wander hand-in-hand through the current market space, and they both laugh. They love each other, sure, just not like that. The two of them drift in and out of each others lives, but never go long without hearing from each other. Gogo dedicates a song to a Shooting Star every shift they get and in return ey make sure to send whatever reminds em of them to whichever station they stay at now. Ey can’t stand to stay in one place for too long, and when Gogo sees em fidgeting they only laugh and press a kiss to eir cheek - shooing them off and claiming they’d like to be able to know which admirers outside are there for just them for once. 

He is older, with longer hair, and solidly going by Jet Star (Gogo, solidly going by Newsagogo now, makes sure to play Benny and the Jets for him as many times a shift as they can) when he meets the Kobra Kid. Or, well, it's more accurate to say he meets Kobra and his kids.

It's near what would absolutely not pass for an orphanage in Battery City (or the old world) but also isn't called that in the Zones since family is so fluid. If Jet was a city kid he might understand the tendency of those types of zone runners to look distrustfully at them. There's a gaggle of children and younger teens hanging around him at the time, and something about the scene reminds Jet Star so much of his old home that before he realises it he's already walked over. He's got a kid balanced on his hip, another wearing his jacket, and he looks at Jet Star as he moves closer with a question in his eyes. There's no awe or real recognition in his eyes. Jet Star thinks this is a relief and introduces himself to the other as Kobra Kid's new best friend and companion if he's up for it. He can't bring himself to feel bad about it when the other laughs in his face and tells him unless he knows how to fix his motorbike they aren't going anywhere (Jets never been good with cars, but bikes? bikes he can do). 

Jet Star clicks with Kobra Kid well, she thinks. Though Kobras memory isn't…. the best when it comes to people (though he never gets anyones pronouns wrong) - leading to some fun interactions between people who recognise Jet Star, who recognise Kobra, and who Kobra doesn't remember and has forgotten whatever grudge they have against him. He sometimes leaves for most of a day (never without warning) and pops back up in the evenings with any young zonekid finding their feet who needs guidance to a safe spot. More often than not, that's a nearby radio station. Usually it's Gogo's.

Gogo, of course, thinks he's a delight. It takes a few meetings for him to really know their name but they get along like no ones business - if Jet Star was a pettier person, she'd be worried Gogo would forget about her. Kobra's talent with electricals quickly sends him up Gogo's list of favourite people and within a few weeks he joins the few people that Newsagogo actually lets call them Gogo. 

The three of them are in Zone Three, waiting for it to reconnect to the rest of the zones (the haziness that covers it wears off a few days into a stay in a non-existing zone three) when Gogo drops the announcement on them that they have a brother now. Jet Star doesn't really know what to say to that - the idea of not having siblings seems odd to them, but Kobra Kid just gives them a high five and asks them if they want a new hairscarf as congratulations. Jet Star feels their ears pop as the rest of the zones start existing around them again, and as the three of them cross out of Zone Three they ask when they get to meet Gogo's brother. 

Cherri Cola is a very skinny, very angry, and very much injured guy who is nearly half a head taller than Gogo, who looks nothing like Gogo, and Jet Star cannot think of anyone who looks anymore like they'd be Gogo's younger sibling than him. He alternates between staring at both Jet and Kobra, opening and closing his mouth like he's trying to say something, while Gogo and Kobra fix him up. He's silent until Kobra remarks on an old scar of his, asking who helped sort that one out. Cherri Cola's face is very much covered in confusion and fully distracted from his split lip when he looks solely at Kobra Kid. He waits.

"...You did??"

If Jet Star falls off their perch on one of the stations tables from cackling, Gogo is too busy hiding their own giggles behind their brothers back and Kobra is doing his best to not laugh through his usual explanation of his poor memory to a very red Cherri Cola. 

Cherri Cola is a little older than Jet, a little younger than Gogo, and never more easily wound up than when around Kobra Kid. When Jet struggles to express an apology, and Cherri's focused anger is overwhelming him, and Gogo leaves them behind to holes themself up in the station - a child calling out warnings to adults fighting to keep the sands free until their voice is hoarse while Patrols are spotted. It's Kobra Kid who keeps them from blowing up at each other. Kobra drags Jet into useless lines of conversation and talks circles until a falling out is all but forgotten and the focus is on working out what Kobras even said. Cherri finds himself poked and baited into blowing up at Kobra, who throws statement after statement at him until it all the furious energy that lurks forever under his skin is thrown into screams about how no, Kobra, Better Living didn't invent birds - and fails to hide his grin as Kobra makes increasingly outrageous claims (and if these happen more frequently near gogo so they can record them to broadcast, watching their brother look lighter than he had in days well. that's a secret for Gogo and Kobra).

The four of them meet, travel, slip away from each other at random, meet back up again and feel as though no time has passed. Jet Star still can't say goodbyes, and the others pick up on that, and make sure Jet knows when they leave it's never forever. Kobra Kid offers to do Jet's makeup the day before anytime he leaves, Gogo passes Jet a microphone and gives Jet free reign for hours, and Cherri does his best to return any affection from Jet - and goes bright red the night he kisses Jets cheek before slipping away. Jet keeps close to them all the night before she goes, shares blankets and wraps herself around her friends and leaves before they wake. She tunes into old frequencies when she wanders, listens for old voices of family from an old home she won't ever return to - knowing in her bones the colours have changed too much for hers to fit like they did, that going back and seeing the empty spaces of siblings lost filled with strangers is something she's not strong enough for.

She waits by a scrapyard, and listens to droids nearby swap stories of an always watching city and souls soldered to satellites mixed with the stars above. They don't acknowledge her directly, but they place a blanket around her shoulders as the night sets in as they do for any lost zone kid who haunts the outskirts. She tags along behind older crews, those fighting closest to the city, who pull her close to their bonfires and share stories of a woman with fury strong enough to rival the sun - who screams out loud enough to break through shackles of re-education. Jet Star holds all the stories she's given close to her heart, swears to gift them to Gogo when she feels up to seeing them again.

Despite often seperating, none of them can stand to be apart for too long. Kobra Kid always comes back to Jet Star first, and he always finds Kobra before the others. Kobra keeps a handheld radio always tuned to Gogo's frequency and always passes it over to Jet Star - his words have never been sincere, and this causes as much trouble with people as it delights the children Kobra checks in on, but his actions have always shown how much he really cared. 

Cherri Cola meets them injured more often than not, collapsing onto Jet Star and arguing with Kobra as he patches up whatever latest injury he's got. Sometimes the spectacle they make is accompanied by someone skating behind Cherri, clearly there to make sure he's alright and delighting in the ease at which Kobra Kid keeps his mind off the pain and on ridiculous debates. (they never introduce themself. cherri calls them show pony and never shares anything else about them). Most reunions they spend piled onto whatever in Gogo's station can hold the four of them and swap stories and listen to Gogo berate Cherri for yet another injury. It's a dofferent family to what Jet is used to, but he loves them all dearly.

Jet Star dreams a lot. Not like Cherri Cola who wakes with names tied to masks in his mind. Not like Gogo who hears the movements of the zones before they happen. Not like Kobra, who never tells Jet what they see when they sleep - but stays vigilant for the days following. 

Jet Star dreams of ghosts, of people stuck halfway between this world and the next - not quite in reach of the Witch but not quite out of the reach of static. Most in the Zones have their warnings from the radio, from Doctor Death-defying. Jet Star gets their help from people gone too soon and determined to help until the day the Witch can finally grab their hands and lead them somewhere their colours won't fade. They whisper word of hidden goods and shortcuts and help them stay as safe as the Zones can manage. When the Voices tell them of smoke in the city, of figures running across the border and climbing out of tunnels into the sand, Jet Star takes Kobra Kid's hand and leads their friends slowly to the inner zones to see the fuss. 

There's not often escapees from batt city, usually. That isn't to say people don't leave, just that they don't always make it. Most stick around in the tunnels, act as guides for the few who want out into the sands, or want to get the younger ones there. Jet wonders what's behind the walls that make up the city, if the adults there can hear about all the fighting that happens in the Zones and still decide it's better in the sands than the city. Jet isn't sure if knowing would make it better. Jet Star is really only interested in seeing what the newest runaways look like, but Kobra Kid spots them first and seems to make a decision and drags Jet over with him. There's two of them, one clearly not used to stitches or the sand and the other probably just post first dye attempt, and neither seem as colourless as Jet thought any batt city dweller would be but

\- but oh dear Kobra is talking and Jet wasn't paying attention fully but Jet hears the last thing said which, in true Kobra Fashion, is;

"-nd anyways, you clearly suck at dying your own hair. I'm Kobra Kid and you're my sibling now."

Jet just knows Gogo is going to laugh at Jet for not seeing this coming, but for now Jet is watching one of the more entertaining zone adoptions take place and can definitely hear the old doctor dj cackling as… Show Pony collapses over the back of his wheelchair wheezing, having clearly heard whatever spiel came out of Kobra Kids mouth. The other city kid is shaking wildly, but Jet's been witness to enough of Kobra's frankly nonsensical comments to recognise someone trying very hard not to laugh at a friend. The red one gapes, and then immediately starts yelling at Kobra who's got a look that lets Jet know they aren't leaving here alone. Jet decides to ignore them, doesn't need to watch further to know the two of them are absolutely family now, and turns to their currently incoherent fellow spectator and offers to show them around the zones. 

Hours later, after Kobra Kid has successfully gotten Party Poison to give in to the siblinghood, the two of them drag them and Fun Ghoul to Gogo's station. Gogo looks up from where they're bugging Cherri, spots the two new additions, and immediately demands they pick better clothes (Jet loves them dearly). Party Poison and Fun Ghoul are dragged,not kicking or screaming but definitely confusingly, into their little group. Jet Star looks at them all and thinks this is how a crew would feel. 

Jet Star thinks these are people he doesn't want to leave for long, who he would never say goodbye to. Later on, they make good on that offer of showing the two around the Zones. Later on, the group starts to learn each others hang-ups and habits. Later on still, they'll pick a name.

For now, though, Newsagogo makes Kobra Kid do her newest victims (friends, they insist) makeup while they make Jet Star pick out better outfits from whats left or stored in the station, and Cherri is stuck awkwardly introducing himself and checking over their blasters. For now, things are simple and good and Jet Star thinks life can only get better for them all.

**Author's Note:**

> titles from Wild Blue Yonder by The Amazing Devil  
> i have SO many thoughts about all their backstories but alas. i do keep changing parts


End file.
